Comments on: WTF? American Who Crossed Into North Korea May Have Defected

By: Dana

Dana — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:26:55 +0000

Since there are some people in the U.S. that are a least sympathic to communism/socialism, I am not surprise that someone would defect. If it is true, the North Koreans can have him/her as far as I am concerned

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Mon, 01 Feb 2010 20:25:43 +0000

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By: kushibo

kushibo — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:04:49 +0000

Thanks for the hat tip.

By: robert neff

robert neff — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 17:00:27 +0000

Josh,

Seem to have lost the previous posting so I will do it again. I did an article with Asiatimes a couple of years ago but rather than link to it I will link to the posting I did at Marmot’s Hole so that you can read the comments from some of his readers who served at the same time as PFC White.
http://www.rjkoehler.com/2007/02/22/pfc-whites-walk-in-the-dark-americas-last-defector-to-north-korea/

Robert Neff

By: Pops

Pops — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 12:26:01 +0000

Why is defector the only term here used? If it’s a friendly gone enemy then the person is a traitor. Status is in the eye of the beholder… Defector, good; traitor, bad…

By: KCJ

KCJ — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 03:28:15 +0000

I dunno. If ~~communism~~ ~~marxism~~ socialism is so popular in the US these days, there may be some die hard leftists (like some of the current administration's czars) who want to see how its really done. OK, this is bald propaganda from the KWP and we all know it. What is actually going on here in all likelihood is that the Juche godmakers are already feeling the effects of Robert Park's prophetic confrontation of the Kims and are trying to change the narrative about Americans coming in to the DPRK. Too late. What the Pax Koreana (Park's activist group) have done with their Wednesday balloon launch will create a moral firestorm in the DPRK that the Juche apparatchiks will never be able to put out.

By: Joshua Stanton

Joshua Stanton — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 02:29:21 +0000

Interesting. I had no idea.

By: Tbone

Tbone — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 01:15:01 +0000

Joeseph T. White Defected on August 28th 1982, its a very fascinating story. He died in a "drowning accident" on Novemebr 5th 1985. Here is the wiki link and I had another that was more detailed, I will see if I can find it. Having served in the Army in the 80s I could never figure this guy out, its not like he was drafted, Not that that excuses the rash of defecting clowns in the 60s.

By: Joshua Stanton

Joshua Stanton — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 01:09:24 +0000

I see the distinction you’re making. I suppose I’m defining “defector” as someone who flees his country surreptitiously for political reasons, or at least invoking a political justification. Here’s how Merriam-Webster defines it:

1 : to forsake one cause, party, or nation for another often because of a change in ideology
2 : to leave one situation (as a job) often to go over to a rival

By: Sonagi

Sonagi — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 00:37:41 +0000

Unlike American civilians who go to North Korea or elsewhere, Hwang Jang Yop fled under the threat of severe punishment. What defines a defector is not military versus civilian but the freedom to leave. US military personnel are not free to go to North Korea. That is why soldiers like White, Jenkins, Dresnok, and others are defectors.